Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore Book Review

The rapid rise of technology is apparent in every aspect of modern civilization and it is no different in the novel Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. The story kicks off by exposing the reader to Clay Jannon, an unemployed website designer, whose job was lost after the company downgraded its quality. The unemployed Clay goes to find a job and after walking all over San Fransisco still can’t find one. When he almost gives up he sees a Help Wanted ad in the window of a bookstore named Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore. He comes to learn this is no normal bookstore as there are multiple stories of deeply coded books stacked high in the back of the building. Clay continues to search more and more into the books, uncovering their mystery and their hidden purpose.

The setting is one of the most important aspects of the book. Much of the story takes place in San Fransisco, where the bookstore is located. However, the sunny image most people imagine when they think of San Fransisco is not present in the novel. The story focuses on the bookstore which is maybe the polar opposite of the outside world. The bookstore is poorly lit and most of the story takes place at night so the reader gets a sense of the isolation Clay feels how hidden the bookstore is from the outside world. This is shown through the opening lines describing the store “The shelves were packed close together, and it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest—not a friendly California forest, either, but an old Transylvanian forest, a forest full of wolves and witches and dagger-wielding bandits all waiting just beyond moonlight’s reach.” The whole store and everything hidden behind it is hidden from the world both in real life and how separated it is from technology. I felt the setting really highlighted the dark and hidden nature of the purpose of the bookstore.

The plot is definitely the most powerful part of the novel. The plot burns slowly, as we are introduced to Clay and become part of his life. We learn everything at seemingly the same time.  Clay was a website designer for a company called New Bagel, which he wins an award for. However, when hard times hit the company, they are forced to downgrade and become Old Jerusalem Bagels. We first learn about what is inside the books in the back of the room when Clay's roommate opens up one of the books and we learn that it is heavily coded. The reader becomes introduced to Kat who becomes Clay's girlfriend and becomes a large part in the eventual attempts to decode the books. Clay creates a 3d model of the bookstore and when he puts in the notes about everyone who has checked a book, the model shows Clay a face. Clay then learns that the books in the back are a puzzle that when solved allows you to work on the real task. To find the key to eternal life in a book by a man named Aldus Manutius. Overall, the plot works well to make the book and its theme stand out and suck people in.

Robin Sloan’s ability to suck the reader into a book that only picks up about halfway through is a true talent and a talent that is perfectly encapsulated in this novel. I would highly recommend this novel to people because its theme can be related to society in many ways and will suck you in and keep you invested until the end